Electric lamp socket



Aug. 4, 1953 G. D. BRAYMAN Erm.

ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET Filed Jan. 5, 1951 n s i l INVENTOR. 6260/?650 RHyM/V a. ER/c K. LoTTHA/msn Patented Aug. 4, 1953 ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET George D. Brayman, Ashtabula, Ohio, and Eric K. Lotthammer, Jamaica, N. Y.; said Lotthammer assignor to said Brayman Application January 5, 1951, Serial No. 204,524

1 Claim.

This invention relates to electric lamp sockets.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric lamp socket wherein the socket parts are separable from one another to receive the lamp bulb and thereby to eliminate the neces-sity of having to screw the lamp bulb into place within the socket.

It is another object of the invention to provide in an electric lamp bulb socket having separable socket element parts, a switch arrangement having terminals leading to one of the socket elements and a central terminal post about which an operating handle element is pivoted, leading from the central terminal of the lamp bulb and a connector strip leading from the central member.

Other object-s of the invention are to provide an electrical lamp socket having separable socket parts to eliminate the necessity of having to screw the bulb into place, and with a switch arrangement, which is of simple construction, inexpensive to manufacture, has a minimum number of parts, easy to operate, compact, well insulated and eflicient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the electric i' lamp socket embodying the features of the present invention with the bulb in place therein.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the electric lamp socket and the View being taken on line 2 2 of Fig. l.

. Fig. 3 s a transverse sectional view of the socket with the socket parts closed upon each other.

Fig. 4 is a similar transverse sectional view with the socket parts expanded to release the lamp bulb.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2, and looking upon the switch parts with the parts turned to the open position.

Fig. 6 is a simil-ar transverse sectional view with the switch part turned to bridge the switch terminals.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of one of the socket elements.

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of one of the socket elements.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the operating cam for the socket elements.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the movable switch member.

Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view taken on line II-II of Fig. 10.

Referring now to the figures, I5 represents a met-al sleeve casing having a bottom reduced portion I6 through which a wireV cable I1 may be extended. Fitted within the sleeve casing I5 is a plastic casing I8 shouldered at I9 to rest upon the top edge of the sleeve casing I5. A flexible insulating sleeve is tted within the plastic casing I8 and extends downwardly with' the plastic casing to rest together on a bottom transversely extending insulating piece 2 I. The ilexible insulating sleeve 20 is adjustable within the plastic casing but the plastic casing I8 is held against turning movement by its friction-tight fit therewith.

A central plug 22 is disposed within the casing parts and rested upon the piece 2 I. This central body supports the switch parts. This central body has a top flange 23 to the top of wlhich there is secured a switch box 24. This switch box is secured by means of grommet elements 25 and 26 which respectively hold terminal pieces 21 and 28 to the under side of the ange 23. A connecting screw 29 connects wire 3I with the terminal piece 21. A wire 32 is connected to terminal piece 21. A wire 32 is connected to the terminal piece 28 by screw 33.

The grommet 25 extends through a terminal element 34 disposed within the switch box 24 and secures the same in place within the box. This switch contact has an upstandng V-shaped contact portion 35. At an angle of ninety degrees from the contact 34 is a second contact 36 having a V-shaped depending contact portion 31. This contact 36 is connected by a grommet 38 to the top of the switch box 24. This same grommet 38 extends upwardly to pivotally support a socket part 39. An outer socket part 40 is pivotally connected to the top of the box by a grommet 4l disposed on the switch box 24 at a diametrically opposite location, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. A spring 42 is carried on the grommet 38 and has portions 43 and 44 respectively extending about the socket parts 39 and 40 to keep the same closed upon one another, as shown in Fig. 3. Any outward separation of the socket parts is effected against lthe action of spring 42. Each of these socket parts has a depending lug which depends from the bottom thereof and is engaged by a double cam 46 having handles 41 and 48 diametrically disposed from` one another and extending respectively through elongated slots 49 and 5B disposed respectively in the opposite sides of the plastic casing I8. The cam 46 has two cam engaging edges 5! and 52 over which the projections 45 of the respective socket parts 39 and 40 extend.

The socket parts 39 and 40 have thread formations therein for receiving the thread formations of lamp bulb 53. The central terminal of the lamp bulb engages with a central electrode 54 which is threaded into'the plug body 22. Within the switch box 24 is aAY movable switch element 55 of square section and of insulating material.

On one face of the movable switch member 55' is a contact plate 56 adapted to extendy when the movable switch member is moved to the closed position, between the upstanding V-shaped4 contact portions 35 and 31 of the respectivecontact terminals 34 and 36. A handle 51 extends outwardly through an elongated slot 58 -in the plastic casing I8 whereby to adjust the movable switch member 55 between open and closed posithe contact 36 isconnected with the'socket part 39 through the grommet 3B current will be extended to the lamp bulb. From the lamp bulb center terminal, the current will ow to the central electrodev 54, conductor 59 and laterally through grommet 26 and terminal 28 and through screw 22 to wire 32.

When it is desired to -release the lamp bulb for the purposel of replacing the same with another, the cam 4671s turned tol spread the socket parts 39 and 40 from one another against the action of spring 42v in the manner shown in Fig. 4. This is effected through the-engagement of the cam edges 5| and 52 with the respectve'depending projections 45 of the socket parts 39y and 40. By the turning movement of the movable switch member with its handle 51, they lamp bulbl can be turned on or o.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

An electriclamp holderucomprising an outer casing structure, a central' body mounted within said outer casing structure, said central body having a radially extending top flange, an insulatingswitch box mounted on said top flange, grommet means extending through said insulating Vswitch box and said flange, a terminal connectedr to said grommet below the flange and a terminal connected to said grommet above the flange and extending upwardly within the switch b'ox, a central electrode extending from said centrall structure and through said switch box, a connector engaging said central electrode and extendingv laterally within theV switch a grommet securing said conductor to the rflange anda depending terminal extendingfrom: said grommet beneath theflange of the centralbody, socket parts respectively pivoted to saiclswitch box adaptedto be separated toreceive and retain aflamp bulb, spring. means urging said socket parts toward one another, ar contactv connected to the topofsaid switch box and ldepending thereinto, and a camv plate supported on4 the top of said switch box and engageable with/said socket elements to separate the same against the action. of thespring means.-

GEORGE D.v BRfAYMAN.- ERIC K.' LO'I'IHAMMER.

References Cifed'n the fil 0f this patent.

UNITED STATES'PATENTS Number Namey Date 1,519,774 Eberhardt Dec. 16, 1924 1,770,377 Wolfe July 15, 1930 2,446,768 Kaufman Aug. 10, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15,450 Great Britain of 1906 18,149 Great'Britain of 1897 

